Methods for managing hydrogeological and seismic hazards on the Italian railway infrastructure

Abstract

As dramatically confirmed by the recent earthquakes in Amatrice and Visso in 2016, and by the collapse of a road bridge along the Savona-Torino highway in 2019, Italy and all its constructions and infrastructures passing through its territory are potentially exposed to considerable seismic and hydrogeological risks. Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), in its role of Infrastructure Manager, is responsible for the management and safety of the rail traffic on the Italian network. RFI has therefore implemented a safety management system that ensures the control of the risks associated with railway operations, including seismic and hydrogeological risks. The first part of the paper provides an overview on the exposition of the Italian railway network. The strategies adopted by RFI for mitigating the abovementioned risks are then described as based on a combination of passive and active countermeasures. Eventually, the paper describes the future trends and developments for updating and improving the internal procedures and the tools currently available for reducing the consequences on the railway network of potentially harmful natural events.